basement stairs separating-help please

angie1010December 4, 2011

My basement stairs are separating. I think it's called spreading of stringer. My neighbor wants to take off one side, take out the the stair and the nails that connect to the sides and then use screws instead of nails to reconnect it to the side (not a wall). Is this the right way to do it or is there a better way to fix the spreading? thanks, Angie

I know it's not the answer that you want but I agree with Renovator8. You're going to have to hire a professional to fix this for you. Trust me, I had the same problem and tried to fix it with screws. Needless to say, the stairs gave out on me and I fell hard and got bruises several times.

A stringer is what supports the stairs. There are usually 2 attachment points.One is at the top and the other is at the bottom, check there first, the bottom could be rotted. Another problem could be how the stringer was constructed.Is it a 2 x 4 with pieces scabbed on (triangular pieces nailed to a 2x4) or is it a 2 x 10 cut properly. More info